<p>i got accepted into the university of san diego, and it is just AMAZINGLY beautiful. oh my god...the water is right there and the campus/buildings are sooooooooooooooooo pretty!!!! its like a dream location for school come to life, lol. i wish i could go there lol because the location is PERFECT. and the dorms are so much nicer than where i am going. however, its soooo expensive, and i've heard everyone is really rich and materialistic. thats not what i want out of my college experience! plus...while it's a good school, its not rated as well as where i want to get my education from. and its very lopsided- more girls than boys, which would irritate me. so while location is perfect and almost like fantasy-like....i have to pass this one up! it kinda upsets me, but then again, i think i found the perfect college for me, so i cant kick myself too much...anyone else in a similar delimma??</p>
<p>They are trying to fix the ratio and this years class is 45/55 about average for a liberal arts college. My D went to 4 classes and felt the students were more motivated and involved then in better rated colleges she visited. They are ranked higher for business and sciences. My d is going and she was accepted to many higher ranked schools. USD was more generous then many of these schools ,had a great location and good academics, small class sizes, closer to Az then many of the others. Where did you decide on?</p>
<p>Arizonamom - Congratulations on your daughters decision to attend USD. I think shell enjoy her experience. I did mine, although my experience was at the graduate level. </p>
<p>What impressed me most about USD was how much the faculty cared about making students think for themselves. Of course, one of the goals of graduate school is to motivate students to think independently, but I had the opportunity to sit in on a few undergraduate classes and noticed the professors really challenging students, asking them very thought-provoking questions.</p>
<p>On a completely separate note, but one I feel needs to be addressed: Ive noticed some criticism of USD from others about having such a wealthy student body. Yes, USD has its share of students from affluent backgrounds. However, so does every private college or university in the country (the LACs are littered with prep school kids). In addition, approximately 70% of USD undergraduates receive financial aid through scholarships, grants or loans. Thats a telling statistic.</p>
<p>Thanks Wolfman, we too had heard the stories about Barbie girls and rampant anorexics. My D is an athlete and felt that there were plenty of students she could bond with, she loved both the girls and guys cross country team and enjoyed the guy she shadowed. She feels that if that is true there are plenty of all types of students there. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Many she spoke with chose USD because of their good merit and finaid.</p>
<p>I just flew out to USD from New England a few weeks ago and made the decision while on campus to attend next year. Not only is the campus absolutely gorgeous, both the teachers and students seemed extremely friendly. I sent my deposit in...the only thing is that I'm on a waiting list at Pepperdine University. However, even if I get off that waitlist (which I'm sure is very unlikely), I will probably still attend USD, because I loved it so much.</p>
<p>beclaur, My guess is that you will get off the waiting list. Pepperdine was my D's first choice and out of 14 schools she was accepted to it was the only school she got no aid at all from only loans with a 14,800 EFC. The school costs 42,000. Many were in the same boat so I am sure they will pull from the wait list. It did seem as I said earlier that as a whole student satisfaction seems better at USD. Both schools are stunning. The views from Pepperdine are gorgeous. There seemed to be a better professor to student ratio but administration seems fairly rigid. You are also more isolated in Malibu and definitely need a car. Did you visit Pepperdine? Both schools seem similar in many ways. Let us know what you decide. I don't know what my D would do if she did get money now at Pepperdine, probably still choose USD</p>
<p>thats awesome i hope both of yalls kids enjoy u of san diego, i am sure they will!! do you think it is bad if i never let san diego know i am not attending? it just kinda slipped my mind, but i am assuming they got the point that i am not going there since deadline is past now.</p>
<p>I'm sure they figured it out and are used to it. It's nice to do however,you never know where you'll end up for grad school. Good luck to you nitabonita!</p>
<p>Arizonamom-No, I haven't visited Pepperdine yet, but my good friend did and chose USC over it. She said that everyone seemed the same at Pepperdine, and wanted diversity. She did say that Pepperdine was stunning and had beautiful facilities, but just decided it wasn't for her. My parents really want me to go to Pepperdine, because they think it has a better reputation than USD, and since money isn't influencing my decision (the reason I mention this is that usually kids pulled from the waiting lists don't get any money), I'm thinking that I probably would go to Pepperdine....but I'm not sure...because I really do love USD. As of right now, I'm definitley going to USD!</p>
<p>Sounds like a win/win situation, the sciences and business are strengths at USD. My D hated USC-too big and the area around it is very unsafe. My husband and I liked it! My D is going to try to get into the honors program next semester so that should increase the challenge. Maybe we'll see you there.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation. I did not like Occidental nor Santa Clara so it was between USC and USD. I visited USC and fell in love with the campus, facilities, and admitted students. Saying this, USC would be a stretch because I was given no financial aid and I was a spring admit. I went to USD for an overnight stay. USD was only good for the $12,000 grand a year scholarship, honors program, and proximity to pristine surf. However, what I found was that I didn't like the atmosphere at USD. Also, every student at USD told me that they would have gone to USC and that every other admitted student I spoke to told me to go to USC. In the end, I chose USC for its alumni system, campus, prestige, and brilliant students. I wish I could have enjoyed USD more to go there and save money but USC fit my personality better. Best luck to those going to USD.</p>
<p>How is the NROTC program at USD?</p>
<p>The section devoted to this program on USD's web site is pretty informative. You may find it helpful.</p>
<p>USD home page/Academics/Special Programs/NROTC (3rd entry)</p>
<p>Oregon Mom:</p>
<p>You may want to check out the 5/31/2005 entry titled "New Marine & Navy Officers Commissioned" under "News" on the USD home page. You may find it somewhat interesting.</p>